Chapter 5

“You’re pregnant, and you’re still trying to tempt me?” Logan murmured. “Think about the baby. Be a good girl and wait for me in the car.”

The moment I saw him turn back toward the house, I hurried downstairs and returned to my seat at the dining table.

Strangely, I felt almost grateful.

At least Logan and I had never had a child.

There was nothing left tying me to him.

Nothing that could stop me from walking away for good.

The door opened, and Logan entered with that familiar apologetic expression already in place.

“Baby, something urgent came up at the company. I have to leave town right away.”

He bent down beside me.

“Be good and stay home for the next few days. I’ll bring you a present when I come back, okay?”

I nodded to show that I understood.

Only after studying my face and finding nothing unusual did Logan finally relax and leave.

I watched him disappear through the door.

Then I glanced at the calendar on the table.

Two more days.

Perhaps that was the last time we would ever see each other.

That afternoon, a text from an unknown number appeared on my phone.

Attached was an image of an ultrasound report.

“Let me make this clear. I’m pregnant with Logan’s baby. This is his first child—something you could never give him.”

“ If you have any dignity left, divorce him and make room for me!”

Even without a name, I knew the message had come from Angela.

Now that she was carrying Logan’s child, she finally felt secure enough to challenge me openly.

Unfortunately for her, I had already decided to leave.

Whatever love I had once felt for Logan was dead.

The ultrasound report stirred nothing inside me.

Just as he had promised, Logan didn’t return for the next two days.

I used that time to remove every trace of myself from the house.

I sorted through my belongings one by one.

I donated what could still be used.

I burned what I never wanted to see again.

In the end, I kept only a few essentials to take with me to the research institute.

On the morning of my departure, I woke before sunrise and packed everything into a single suitcase.

I was about to call my professor and ask how long it would be before the institute’s car arrived when another message from Angela appeared.

This time, it was a photograph.

Angela stood in the middle of a sea of flowers, dressed in a white wedding gown.

Logan was kneeling before her on one knee, holding up a ring.

“Logan proposed to me. We’re holding our wedding ceremony today.”

“He said he’s going to make things official for me and our baby. This wedding is only the beginning.”

Another message followed.

“No wonder he kept making calls behind my back for the past two days. He was preparing this huge surprise for me.”

“ He said that even though everything was arranged in a hurry, he still gave me the very best.”

“ He wants me to be the happiest bride and mother in the world.”

Then came the final message.

“ The next time he comes home, he’ll probably throw the divorce papers in your face.”

“ If you want to save yourself some humiliation, you should get out of that house before then.”

“ I’ll be the lady of the house soon enough!”

This time, I replied.

“ Congratulations. You’re about to get exactly what you wanted.”

The moment I sent the message, the car from the research institute arrived.

I picked up my suitcase and climbed inside.

As we waited at a red light, excited voices drifted over from the sidewalk.

“Oh my God, look at that wedding procession!”

“Whoever’s getting married must be loaded!”

I instinctively turned toward the commotion.

Logan was sitting in the back of a Maybach, dressed in a suit.

Angela sat beside him in her wedding gown.

With unmistakable tenderness, Logan reached over and carefully smoothed her hair into place.

Then he turned his head.

Our eyes met through the glass.

His expression changed instantly.

His eyes filled with panic.

The next second, my phone began to ring.